To Move Out of the Shadows
by Kat Lee formerly Pirate Turner
Summary: When Jedda runs away from home, it's left up to Mandrake to find her and bring her back in the sequel to Pirate Sparrow's and Pirate Turner's Shadowed Love stories.
1. Chapter One

Title: "To Move Out of the Shadows"  
Author: Pirates Sparrow & Turner  
Rating: R due to violence  
Spoilers: Only for Pirate Sparrow's "Shadowed Love" and Pirate Turner's "Shadowed Love".  
Summary: When Jedda runs away from home, it's left up to Mandrake to find her and bring her back in the sequel to Pirate Sparrow's and Pirate Turner's "Shadowed Love" stories.  
Disclaimer: Jedda, Mandrake, Keesa, Rick Gordon, Phantom, the Defenders of the Earth, and all other characters mentioned within are © & TM their respective owners and are used without permission. All songs and lyrics are © & TM their respective owners and are used without permission. Everything else is © & TM Pirates Sparrow and Turner. The authors make absolutely no profit from this story.

**Chapter One**

Mandrake woke up to the sound of birds singing just outside his window. They sounded as though they were the happiest little fellows in the whole world, and he found that he himself was in a happy mood. Flash would be home today, and he'd get a chance to talk to him and maybe find a solution to his problem. He walked over to the corner in his room where he had his exercise equipment and worked his way through a complete program of exercises that continued a hundred push-ups before stepping into his shower and washing the sweat off. Working himself vigorously with the towel, he hummed a little tune, not recognizing it for what it was. He dressed quickly, glanced at his watch, and realized that Jedda was not in the house but at school already. Maybe he should check in with Phantom and see how he was doing, and he could get a report on Jedda while he was talking to Phantom?

He sat down in the dining room and waited while Dynak created his breakfast. He thought he'd fortify himself before he had a talk with Phantom. He heard some one enter. He looked up and saw it was Phantom. "Good morning, my friend!" Mandrake called to him. "Are you joining me for breakfast?"

Phantom looked at Mandrake. "I had my breakfast hours ago. I'm waiting for brunch now, so I guess I'll be joining you."

Dynak created a complete breakfast for Mandrake and then gave Phantom coffee and what appeared to be some kind of gruel that Mandrake did not want any of. "So what's on the agenda for today, Phantom?"

"Nothing much unless some emergency happens until tonight. Rick's in a race tonight. It's one of the more important races."

"Oh," Mandrake said. "I had almost forgot about that. Is Flash returning today?" he asked Phantom.

"Probably this afternoon," Phantom said.

"If you see him before I do, tell him I'd like to talk to him about something important."

"Sure thing," Phantom said before he finished up and left. "I'll do that," he said as the door closed behind him.

Mandrake finished breakfast but continued reading his newspaper. He wanted to be up on the world events. He found himself sneaking over to a section that he never read -- Dear Abby -- and found a letter from some guy that was proclaiming love for some woman that didn't know he existed. Abby's advice was for him to confront her privately and explain his feelings. "That's a bunch of crap," Mandrake said as he threw it back on the table. "If I took that advice, I'd get laughed out of here. Jedda would probably run screaming from the room. What shall I work on today, Dynak?"

Dynak's reply: "Your heart."

"Not you too, Dynak! How was Jedda this morning?"

"Upset about something that she would not tell me. Moody. Apparently, it's her moon cycle."

"Moon cycle?"

"You can't be that dense, Mandrake. You know what it is."

"Oh."

"Rick and LJ were doing fine," Dynak told him although he had not asked.

**To Be Continued . . . **


	2. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two**

Mandrake knew Jedda's birthday was coming up soon, and he had been working on a surprise for her. He decided to go work on his invention a little while longer unless something came up. He really didn't have anything on his plate today. He walked into his laboratory and almost fell over Zuffy. "Zuffy, what have you been into?" he asked the Zuffoid who had something that appeared to be chocolate all over his face.

Mandrake picked him up and sniffed. "It is chocolate. Go wash up." He shook his head and sighed when he saw the mess that Zuffy had created. "You would think a Zuffoid would go to the kitchen to make a chocolate milkshake," he said with a sigh. Waving his hand, he cleaned the mess and righted everything in the lab.

He walked over and sat down at his workbench. In front of him sat Jedda's birthday present which was still not working right. The rose was working fine. It started out as a bud and then opened into a full-grown rose, but it was not responding to the music that he had set with it. He took the dome lid off and checked it one more time. Everything seemed to be working fine except that the rose was still not working with the music.

He turned around to face the TV and hit his remote. He found himself staring at a bunch of guys playing outside of an aquarium or what appeared to be an aquarium. He became totally engrossed in what the music was saying and the girl walking as though she was in a trance and the guy singing about "Fall Into Me". The rose was excited. It was responding. "Must get that recording," Mandrake said. "Dynak, can you get me a recording of that?"

"A recording of what, Mandrake?"

"Something called 'Fall Into Me'."

"Who sings it?"

"I don't know. They didn't say. They're still singing it."

Mandrake had only caught a part of it and had not caught the name, but Dynak interacted with the TV. "It's from a group called Emerson Drive."

"I need you to put it on this microchip, Dynak. I'm going to put it into the rose."

"You are giving Jedda that song, Mandrake?" Dynak asked in surprise.

"Don't you start, Dynak! You are the only thing that knows my secret, and it better stay that way."

"You don't think she will guess when she gets this?"

"You're right. I'd better put another song in there, too. Find me something along the same lines of this one."

"Oh, that's no problem," Dynak said. "Do you like this?"

Her face disappeared, and a storm appeared. "Dynak, what is this?"

"Keith Urban," she said innocently.

"Well, he looks all right. He's playing in a storm. Sure, go ahead and put it on there."

"Do you want another one on there?"

"I don't know anything about the music that they're into this day and time or what Jedda would like. Pick something similar. Then, she'll have a choice of three, and it can be voice activated. That'll work," he said, almost talking to himself.

Dynak's face reappeared. "It's ready, Mandrake."

"Great!" he said as he accepted the chip, sliding it into its place at the base of the flower. "Do your thing, flower," he said, talking to his flower now. Music started, and it was the same one he had just heard. "I think it's ready, Dynak," he said, replacing the dome. "I'll make her an early birthday present." It was ready, and it was a work that he was proud of. He only hoped that she liked it.

He glanced at his watch and saw that it was still several hours before race time and Flash's arrival. He pulled a dusty volume of ancient knowledge off the shelf and delved into it, taking notes as he read of stuff to refer to later.

**To Be Continued . . . **


	3. Chapter Three

**Chapter Three**

Under the concerned gaze of a pair of watchful blue eyes, the young woman made her way silently out of the classroom and began to weave through the people that milled around in the hallway. Several other students greeted her, but she did not even appear to hear them. He sighed as he looked down at the paper he held in his hand. A huge, red "F" stared up at him before he crinkled the paper into a tight ball and threw it into a nearby trash can; he then began to follow her.

* * *

Jedda Walker sighed as she opened her locker and was met with a reflection of her own face hanging in her locker's door. For a moment, she stared down into her own green eyes. She was so plain. How could a man like Mandrake ever love her? She turned in disgust from the mirror, put the books she carried into her locker, and then began to shuffle through its other contents for what she would need for her next, and final, class of the day. "Jedda?"

Normally, she would have heard his approach, but the sudden sound of his voice calling her name made her jump slightly. She wheeled around and then shot him an angry glare. "What do you want, Rick? I'm busy; I have to get to class."

"Whoa, calm down," he said, holding his empty hand out to her in a gesture of peace. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"You didn't -- " she started to say.

"Jedda, I was standing right here," he reminded her. "I saw you jump. You wanna tell me why?"

She shrugged as she turned back to her locker. "I just didn't hear you come up."

"But you always -- "

"My mind was elsewhere."

He nodded, but she did not look at him. "All right. Fine," he said with a casual shrug. "Look, I was just wondering how you did on that test."

"I made a C." The words left her mouth before she could stop them.

"But somehow I'm guessing that's not what's bothering you," Rick surmised.

"I'm fine," Jedda lied as she reached into her locker and began to pull out a thick text book.

"Sure you are. That's why you're pulling out your chemistry book when your next class is Phys. Ed."

"I've got a test in it. I just want to study a little bit while I'm on the bench."

"I'm in that class, too, Jedda, and we don't have a test until next Wednesday."

"Maybe I want to get a head jump on it. You know how chaotic our schedules can get!"

"Yeah," he admitted with a nod, "but I also know you." He placed a hand on her shoulder with just enough weight to not be pressuring her but to also let her know that she wasn't going to shake him off that easily. "Jedda, look, we've known each other almost all our lives, and I know when something's bothering you."

She closed her eyes but neither spoke nor turned to face him. Her face tilted downwards, but it was her soft sigh that hinted at a weary heart and gave her away.

"What is it?" he asked. His voice had fallen to a soft whisper, but he knew she could hear him just fine even despite the loud jumble of voices and other noises that surrounded them. When she still did not answer him, he added, his caring for her written deeply into his voice, "Jedda, you know you can tell me anything."

"I know. Most things," she admitted as she slowly and reluctantly turned around to face him at last. Her eyes lifted to meet and search his as she tried to make him understand, "But this isn't one of those things."

"Look. Even if you don't feel comfortable talking to me about it," Rick insisted, "there's got to be some one you can talk to. Your Father, maybe?"

She shook her head. "He wouldn't understand."

"Then try me," Rick pleaded gently with her. "I promise I will."

"I can't," Jedda gently told him. "Look, Rick, I appreciate what you're trying to do, but this isn't something I can talk to any one about it. It's a girl thing."

"Oh," he said, and his face fell with his sympathy for one of his dearest friends. He knew all too well how the lack of a maternal figure felt. After all, Jedda was the only woman in his entire family.

The bell rang, but neither moved as the hall suddenly emptied except for the two of them. "If you change your mind --" he started to say only to have her answer him before he could even finish the offer.

"You'll be the first one I call if I decide I can talk to you about it, Rick, but honestly, I can't."

He nodded. "Well, we better go."

She nodded, as well, before turning back to her locker. "I'll see you later," she said as she shut the door and then locked it.

"Yeah," he murmured softly.

The silence suddenly threatened to become deafening as Jedda turned back around to find that she was now alone again. She looked in the direction of the gym for a moment but then turned and walked toward the exit of the school. She just couldn't stand one more minute in that academic Hell that day, not with the thoughts that always weighed pressingly upon her mind and haunted her heart every second of her life.

**To Be Continued . . . **


	4. Chapter Four

**Chapter Four**

A soft knock came at Jedda's bedroom door much later that afternoon. She glanced up from where she laid on her bed, a pillow scrunched underneath her chest. She ran her hands quickly over her face before calling, "Come in."

The door opened, and the Phantom swaggered confidently into the room. "You're not ready," he observed.

"No, I'm running a bit late. Actually . . ." She paused before admitting, "Father, I'm not feeling well."

Concern instantly washed away the hardness of the Phantom's facial features. He nearly sprang to his daughter's side before kneeling beside her bed and reaching out to softly touch her forehead. "You don't seem to be running a fever."

"I'm not," she said with a shake of her head. "My stomach's upset, though. I don't think today's cafeteria special agreed with me."

The Phantom's face pulled back into a disgusted scowl. "If it's anything like what I saw that one day when I visited when you were younger . . . Those worms that they called spaghetti . . . "

She nodded, and his own stomach churned in compassion. "You will come, though, if you get to feeling better, won't you?" he asked her. "You know tonight's race means a lot to Rick."

"I know," she admitted, "and I don't want to miss it. I just don't think I can stay out of the bathroom long enough to go right now."

He nodded. "Very well. I'll go inform the others that we're staying behind for now," he started to say.

"No, Father, you go ahead," Jedda pleaded. She shook her head again, slowly and sadly, with a hint of shame on her face as she explained, "I don't know if I'll be able to make it. I hope I will, but even if I can't, I don't want you missing it. Like you said, tonight means a lot to Rick, and he needs all the support he can get."

"Are you sure?" he asked, looking down at his only child with great concern written plainly on his face and in his eyes.

She nodded as she looked up at him. "I'm a big girl, Father. I can handle it, and if I get to feeling better, I'll be there just as fast as I can get there."

He nodded slowly, his eyes carefully examining her. "Very well," he said at long last, "but if you need me, call me."

"I will," she promised, "but you go have fun and cheer Rick on."

He nodded before reaching down and embracing her in a tender hug. His lips brushed against her forehead before he straightened and walked out of the room on silent feet, bringing her door to a shut that, although silent itself, was still somehow louder than his footsteps. Jedda watched him go before turning over and curling up into a ball. Her eyes closed tightly. "I hate myself," she murmured only to where Keesa and herself could hear her admission.

It was true. She hated herself and had every reason to do so. Her life, that had once been filled with such joy despite the constant headaches Ming and his kind caused her family and team, had slowly transformed into a miserable Hell. She had thought that she could handle it, but each of the countless moments she had spent, watching and loving Mandrake from afar while knowing full well that he could never look that way at her -- a mere girl --, had eaten away at her heart and soul until she teetered on the very edge of survival.

It had gotten way out of hand. She knew that, but she also knew that there was absolutely nothing she could do about it. She couldn't help the way she felt about Mandrake, and she didn't dare tell any other soul except for Keesa. Unfortunately, it had finally even gotten to the point that not even Keesa could cheer her, and as she lay there, lost in her complete misery, she could only feel the gentle, reassuring licks of her best friend's sandpaper tongue from what felt to be far, far away.

* * *

Mandrake was waiting with the others for Flash, Phantom, and Jedda to join them so that they could go see Rick in the race. He looked up expectantly with a smile on his face, expecting to see Jedda with Phantom. He was extremely disappointed to be told by Phantom that Jedda was not coming. "I am sorry that she does not feel well," Mandrake said. "Is there anything that we can do to help her?"

Phantom shook his head. "It just takes time. I believe the food she ate today did not agree with her."

"School food," Lothar mumbled. "Yuck!"

Even Mandrake made a face. "It seems," Mandrake said, "that no matter how much time goes by, school food never improves. No matter the school, it's always yucky. What do they train those women with, any way?"

"I believe they pick those who can't do anything else and put them in there," Lothar said.

"It figures," Mandrake said. He was extremely saddened because Jedda was not going to join them and he would not be able to even look at her. He had not seen her all day. I will send her her present early. It will cheer her up, he thought to himself as he waved his hand and transported his gift to the desktop in Jedda's room. Glittery sparklings swirled round and round and over the rosebud, waiting for Jedda's attention to be drawn to it. A small card was attached to the base. It read "Happy Birthday, Jedda!", and he had simply signed it with an "M".

Meanwhile, Phantom had again left, this time going to see what was keeping Flash so long.

**To Be Continued . . . **


	5. Chapter Five

**Chapter Five**

Keesa jumped up to attention at the first glimpse of the sparkling lights. His fur bristled as he arched upwards, ready to pounce the intruder, as the sparkling lights filled the room. Although her head was buried in her pillow, Jedda could still sense the sudden change in Keesa and forced herself to sit up to see what was wrong. The sparkling lights caught her attention immediately, and she turned to look in their direction even as the most beautiful rose she had ever seen appeared from nowhere onto her desk.

Her breath caught in her throat, and her eyes widened as she stared in shock at the rose. She glanced questioningly to Keesa, but he was as surprised as she was. Looking back at the rose, she asked the air, "What in the world?" At the sound of her voice, music suddenly started to play, and both jumped slightly at the unexpected sound that filled the room.

_Right here waiting, staying strong:  
Come and fall into me. _

Jedda slipped slowly from her bed and began to approach the rose without ever taking her eyes off of it. Her eyes grew even wider for as she drew nearer to the rose, she was able to see more of it, and the more and closer she saw of the rose, the more beautiful it became to her. As she approached her desk, a card came into view, and relief slightly eased her worry at the words she read on its cover: "Happy birthday, Jedda!"

_You say you've turned it off,  
Hid your heart upon a shelf.  
Scared of what it might cost,  
To take it down for someone else._

Jedda's eyes shifted from the card back to the rose, and she could feel Keesa at her side as she reached out for the sparkling rose. She gently placed her hands on either side of the dome lid and then carefully lifted it. Placing it aside, she drew even nearer to the rose. As some kind of wonderful fragrance filled her nose, the song continued to play.

_Cause in loving him you lost,  
Too much of yourself.  
Baby, can't you see,  
That he's not me._

Jedda's confusion grew at the words. The song was beautiful and the rose even more so, but who would send her a gift like this? "Who would send me this?" she asked softly, but the very moment she began to speak, the song suddenly silenced. Before she could even begin to wonder what had happened to the song, the beginning strands of a new song began to play.

_It ticks just like a Timex  
It never lets up on you  
Who said life was easy  
The job is never through_

She recognized that song instantly, but her curiosity only grew more aroused by the realization of the new song's identity. Her eyes silently scanned the rose for some clue as to how it had been made. She could tell that the songs had to have been implacted technologically somehow. The only one she knew that was a technical genius was Rick, but he didn't listen to country. Besides, why would he send her such songs? Why would any one?

_It'll run us 'til we're ragged  
It'll harden our hearts  
And love could use a day of rest  
Before we both start falling apart_

It wasn't that she was not awed by the gorgeous rose for she was. It wasn't that she did not like the songs for their lovely music thrilled her ears. Instead, it was simply that she could not help but to be stunned by their lyrics. Of all the people she knew, she could not imagine why a single one of them would send her such love songs, especially one of the erotic standards of Keith Urban's "Raining On Sunday".

_Pray that it's raining on Sunday  
Stormin' like crazy  
We'll hide under the covers all afternoon_

At that line, Jedda could stand the suspension no longer as she suddenly snatched up the card and flipped it open. Her eyes fell to the signature, and her mouth fell open in shock at the single letter that stared up at her. The only one that M could mean was Mandrake, but even though her heart ached to sing for joy at the thought that he might actually love her, she knew better. She knew this couldn't be from him. He could never feel that way about her, and he'd never send her such songs. Besides, he preferred classical music, certainly not singers like Keith Urban and whatever band sang the other song. "It can't be!" That exclamation had barely left Jedda's lips when the song changed a third time.

_She says don't stare at me  
She's afraid that I might see  
Those five extra pounds she talks about  
Man, I don't know what she's talking about_

Jedda's heart thundered in her chest as she fought desperately to keep from allowing her hopes to rise. This couldn't be from Mandrake. He couldn't feel that way about her, and if she allowed herself to even begin to truly think that this could be from him, she'd only open herself up to an even bigger world of worse pain. "Dynak!" she suddenly called out. "Who sent this!"

_Right here waiting, staying strong:_

"The card was signed," came the computer's response.

_It ticks just like a Timex_

"But it can't be him!" Jedda protested. "There's no way it could be Mandrake! Who sent this, Dynak?"

_She says don't stare at me  
She's afraid that I might see  
Those five extra pounds she talks about_

There was a pause before Dynak calmly answered Jedda's question with a question of her own. "Why could it not be Mandrake, Jedda?"

_Right here waiting, staying strong:_

**To Be Continued . . . **


	6. Chapter Six

**Chapter Six**

Unbeknownst to any one, the Phantom's superior ears had caught the strands of music coming from his daughter's bedroom while he had been searching for Flash. He had grown suspicious the very second he had first heard the music. After all, if Jedda was as sick as she had seemed to be, why would she be listening to anything but soft, soothing melodies? The very instant Keith Urban's mouth had opened, the Phantom's speed had doubled for he had heard that very song being played one night in Flash's room while his friend had been entertaining a female guest and knew what those particular melodies implied.

The Phantom reached the door just in time to hear a flurry of words spill from his daughter's mouth. "It can't be him, Dynak! Mandrake would never send me something like this! I love him, but I know he doesn't look at me the same way! He can't! I'm so far beneath him that it's ridiculous for me to even dare to look at him in that way! If he even began to think of how I _really_ feel about him, he'd have a fit! I don't know if he'd be laughing or paranoid or what, but he'd still have a fit!"

_It ticks just like a Timex_

At the sound of the door suddenly opened, Jedda and Keesa whirled around as one. Jedda's mouth again fell open in shock at the figure that filled her doorway, and her face went pale. "Father!" she exclaimed. "What are you doing here!"

_She says don't stare at me_

"Jedda, what's really going on here?" the Phantom demanded in a voice that, although it was barely above a whisper, was filled with danger.

_Right here waiting, staying strong:_

"Father, it's . . . ! It's not . . . ! I . . . !" Her panicked brain desperately sought a way of escape, but she could find none even as he strolled closer to her with the same stride of a tiger.

_It ticks just like a Timex_

"Jedda, do not lie to me," he warned her, his voice carefully evened.

_She says don't stare at me_

She fell silent as her eyes dropped to the floor. Keesa's lithe body curled around the side of her right leg, his dark eyes carefully studying the Phantom. The man might be the Lord of the Jungle, but his top priority would always be to Jedda. He would protect her from anything, even if it cost him his life. Finally, her voice barely a whisper, she said, "You don't want to know the truth."

_Right here waiting, staying strong:_

"Yes," he said, careful to keep his rage at the insane words he had overheard from his voice, "I do. Jedda, you've never lied to me. Please don't start now."

_It ticks just like a Timex_

Her head dropped at that simple statement, and shame filled her. She bit her bottom lip before speaking quietly, "Actually . . . "

_She says don't stare at me  
She's afraid that I might see_

"I have," she finally admitted, her entire body wincing at the hurt she knew her words had just stabbed her beloved father with. Slowly, she dared to look up at him, and her shame and self-hatred grew at the pain and shock she saw written clearly on her father's face. "I'm not all right, Father, but I knew I couldn't tell you this. You won't understand. No one would."

_Those five extra pounds she talks about  
Man, I don't know what she's talking about_

"I'm not all right, but it's nothing physical. You were right to be concerned over me spending so much time in my bedroom and by myself, but I couldn't tell you that because then I'd have to tell you the true reason why I've been spending so much time alone except for Keesa. I don't know how to say this, Father." With every word she spoke, her heart sank lower, and with every second of silence that passed from Phantom, her fear grew.

_She looks through magazines  
With every page she dreams  
Of looking like somebody else_

"So I guess maybe the best way -- maybe even the only way -- I can say it is to just say it. I'm in love, Father. Not a crush. Not puppy love. No matter what you think, I know it's the real thing, and I can't help it. Believe me, I've tried, but I can't." Her emotions played clearly over her face as she struggled to get the words out. "I'm in love with a man that you'd never believe I could be, that you won't be able to understand, a man that could never look at me in the same way, but I can't help myself. I love him, and I can't help it."

_I wish she wasn't so hard on herself  
Then she falls asleep with just my T-shirt on  
Even when her hair's messed up and her makeup's gone_

Tears ran down her cheeks as Jedda finally admitted aloud, "I can't help loving Mandrake." She closed her eyes for a moment, wincing at the rage she fully expected to come next. Slowly, she peeked out through her tightly closed eyes, and her heart almost stopped beating at the look of horrified shock on her beloved father's face.

_You can't hide beautiful  
You can't hide wonderful_

Phantom slowly shook his head. "You're crazy." The words slipped out before he could stop them. He instantly regretted them, but it was already too late to take them back.

_Right here waiting, staying strong:_

"I'm not crazy!" Jedda hissed, her green eyes blazing furiously through the tears that filled them. "I do love him! Rather you like it or not, I love him, and there's nothing either of us can do about that!"

_It ticks just like a Timex_

The Phantom's hands clenched tightly with his enraged fury. "You don't love him. You only think you do."

_She says don't stare at me_

"You're wrong! I know I love him! He may not feel the same way about me, but I still love him!"

"NONSENSE!" Phantom roared.

"It's not nonsense!" Jedda cried as tears streaked down her face. "It's the way I feel, rather you like it or not! I love him!"

"You can't!"

"I do!"

As their argument grew swifter and more heated words were exchanged at an alarmingly increasing rate, the rose's three songs continued to change just as swiftly. "Jedda, listen to yourself! This isn't you! You have far more intelligence than this!"

"What! Just because I'm smart I can't fall for a guy whose so far out of my league or I'm supposed to be able to control what I feel and just ignore my heart! Newsflash, Father: Nobody can help who they fall in love with!"

"You're just like your mother!"

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

"You're a woman who just wants to drive those she cares about even crazier by what she thinks she feels!" he snarled.

"I'm sorry if you can't handle the truth, Father," Jedda snarled out in return, "but regardless of how you feel, the truth is still the truth and the truth is I love Mandrake!"

"You only think you do! Wake up, Jedda! He's as old as I am!"

"So that's what it is! Just like I thought! You can't understand it because he's your age and you wanted me to fall in love with some one my own age! Age doesn't matter!"

"Of course it matters! He's old enough to be me!"

That was the final straw for Jedda. She could stand looking at him and hearing his enraged words no longer. "Maybe he's old enough to be you, but he's not heartless enough!" she hissed, her eyes flashing with the fury that wrapped around her soul. "All you care about is what you want! You can't handle how I feel just because I didn't fall for some jerk that you picked out, just because I have my own brain and my own heart and fell in love with the man that won me over even if he never knows it!"

_It ticks just like a Timex  
It never lets up on you  
Who said life was easy  
The job is never through  
It'll run us 'til we're ragged  
It'll harden our hearts  
And love could use a day of rest  
Before we both start falling apart_

Silence that was broken only by the music that sang forth from the forgotten rose filled the room for a long moment before the Phantom's stern but quiet voice ended it, "Stay here tonight, Jedda, and think about this insanity that you are spouting but keep it to yourself. We can not allow the others to even suspect that you have taken such leave of your senses. We will speak again about this when I return tonight, and hopefully your intelligence will have returned by then." He left her, standing there and trembling with the fury that filled her.

_She says don't stare at me  
She's afraid that I might see  
Those five extra pounds she talks about  
Man, I don't know what she's talking about  
She looks through magazines  
With every page she dreams  
Of looking like somebody else  
I wish she wasn't so hard on herself  
Then she falls asleep with just my T-shirt on  
Even when her hair's messed up and her makeup's gone_

Jedda stared after her father for a long time before finally speaking again. When she spoke again, her voice was barely even audible to her own ears. "I can't stay any longer, Keesa. They don't understand. They'll never understand. Please stay here so you'll be safe." Despite her words, she knew he'd follow her even as she broke into a swift run.

Jedda's heart pounded in her heaving chest as she ran through the mansion. The sounds that her pink boots made as they hit the hard floor echoed through the eerie silence as she ran as if her very life depended on her escape from the sudden Hell that had engulfed her. Her father had all but turned against her. The only man that she could ever love could never return her feelings and must never know of how she felt. Nobody except Keesa could possibly understand her. The happiness she had known for so long with the Defenders of the Earth had came to an abrupt, shattering end, and she felt as if her very heart would die if she did not soon escape the confining walls of the place that she had once called home.

Her tears continued to run increasingly faster down her cheeks even as she leapt toward a window. She curled her body into a tight ball, protecting her flesh the best she could as she burst through the glass. The window exploded around her, and glass cut deeply into her skin. She ignored the pain as she landed, rolled to her feet, and continued to run. She did not know where she was going. She only knew she had to escape the Hell that surrounded her.

* * *

Waiting at the car, Mandrake was concerned at the look on Phantom's face when he rejoined them. "Everything okay?" he asked.

Phantom stared at him, muttered, "Crazy women!", and got into the car. Flash shot off as soon as Mandrake closed the door. It did not take them long to reach the race for, in truth, Flash drove as though he was in one. The passengers were lost in their own thoughts. Phantom was blaming himself for Jedda's craziness. Mandrake had his mind on the same beautiful lady but for different reasons. He hoped that she liked her present.

**To Be Continued . . . **


	7. Chapter Seven

**Chapter Seven**

Rick came in first, and while he was accepting the trophy, Mandrake put in a quick call to Dynak. "Dynak, how is Jedda feeling? Did she like her present?"

Dynak replied, "Mandrake, I do not know." Mandrake told Dynak to ask Jedda. Dynak replied, "I can not; she has run away."

"Why?" he demanded to know. Dynak played the scenes of Jedda and her Father's argument, then showed Mandrake Jedda running and jumping out the glass window. He winced in pain for her when he saw the cuts. "I am coming now!" he said as he teleported home and into Jedda's room where he picked up her scent. He then changed into a hawk and, picking up her scent once more, began to follow his beloved.

His hawk eyes were keen and his sense of smell was great, so he flew quickly, trying to catch her. Even as he pursued her relentlessly, his human mind kept repeating: She loves me! She loves me! The litany became a song which drove him even faster to find her.

* * *

Blinded by her tears, she neither knew nor cared where she ran or what she ran through. She only continued to run until, her burning chest heaving desperately for oxygen, she could run no more. Finally, Jedda dove into a dark alley and let herself slump against a wall whose sliminess, encrusted with dirt, mud, mildew, and other things best left unnamed, she did not even notice.

Her head hung, and her hands reached up to cover her face. She could no more stop her tears than she could stop herself from needing to breathe. Her heart was shattered, and she was all alone in the world. How could her Father have done that to her? How could he . . . ?

Even as the memories pounded at her, ripping her soul to even tinier shreds, figures approached her from the shadows. "Well, well," the gang leader spoke as he thumped a baseball bat solidly against his gloved hand, "what do we have here, boys?"

Jedda's head snapped up, and her green eyes, filled with tears, turned to the thugs. "Aw, boss," one of the shorter thugs crooned with fake sympathy, "she looks all upset. Maybe we can make her feel better?"

"Oh, I don't know about that," the leader sneered cruelly in response as they continued to approach her, "but she can definitely make us feel better."

"Go ahead," Jedda told them as they reached her, her voice just as sad as her eyes. "Do your worst." She shook her head slowly. "I don't care." It was true. Without her family, she had no reason left to care. Perhaps the best thing would be for her to just let her life end right here and now.

"Aw, but, sweetcheeks, that takes away half the fun," the leader complained as he loomed in front of her. His free hand slammed against the bricks next to her head, but Jedda did not flinch. Instead, she only lowered her eyes and allowed him to come closer. He grinned wickedly when he saw that she was indeed not going to fight him and leaned closer in. His body pressed roughly against hers, and then his pierced tongue flicked out of his dirty mouth to run over the side of neck, starting at just below her ear and running toward the base of her throat.

She let him touch her. His tongue made her skin crawl, and his earring scratched her skin. She wanted to shove him away, to scream at them that they would never have a Defender of the Earth in such a way, that they would never have her, the Phantom's daughter, in such a way, but she didn't. How could she when she was no longer a member of the Defenders of the Earth or Phantom's daughter by anything but technicalities? How could she when she was nothing but a lost, shattered soul willing to let her life be taken from her by any means necessary just to stop the merciless heartache that engulfed her being?

Suddenly, a deafening roar filled the alley, bringing horrified screams from the other gang members. Deadly claws slashed out, slicing into the leader and knocking him away from the woman. Jedda's eyes lifted in surprise to find Keesa having knocked the gang leader to the ground. The mighty panther stood on top of the thug, pinning him to the ground, and as his tail continued cutting wildly through the air, he released another roar. Wild, dangerous eyes glared down at the thing that had dared to touch his beloved mistress.

"Keesa!" Jedda exclaimed in surprise, but no sooner had she called out her best friend's name than the gang's leader bellowed a command. Jedda's trained eyes caught a flicker of movement, and she looked up just in time to see a gun being pointed straight at Keesa. She swiftly flipped to block Keesa from attack, but even as she did so, the trigger was pulled. Before she could stop it, a cry broke from her mouth as the bullet blasted through her skin as if it were not even there and buried itself deep in her shoulder.

**To Be Continued . . . **


	8. Chapter Eight

**Chapter Eight**

From far above, Mandrake's keen hawk eyes took in the scene below. It was impossible for him to reach them in time. Suddenly, in mid-air, he changed from hawk to dragon, and flames shot forth from his mouth, engulfing the bullies who dared to hurt his woman. He landed beside her and looked at the ashes where they lay on the ground almost as though he was saying, "Did I do that?", in both shock and disbelief that he had actually killed something supposedly human for touching his woman.

"Jedda, what are you doing here?" his voice spoke forth from the dragon even as he began to change into Mandrake. He waved his hand over her shoulder, and the bullet popped out, the wound closing of its own volition. With his other hand, he waved it over her and cleaned it up. "What's wrong, beloved? Why are you here and not home?" He wanted her to tell him what he already knew, hoping that she would but not scarcely believing it himself.

The pain in her shoulder and her heart's misery had stilled her from being able to run. She had watched with startled eyes as the dragon had landed, looked first at the ashes, and had then turned to her. When it had transformed into Mandrake, she had been relieved but also partially afraid. It had taken everything she had been able to do to face her father after he had learned the truth. How could she tell Mandrake what she felt for him when she knew what would surely come of it, his rejection and rebuttal of her love for him?

As he healed her wound and washed the grime away from her body that she must have picked up while running, Jedda raked her mind for some excuse, for some explanation of what had happened. Finally, still looking up at him with fear and tears in her eyes, Jedda realized that there was only one thing she could tell him -- the truth --, but perhaps if she had even just the slimmest bit of luck left, he would let her go without forcing her to tell him who she had fought so terribly with Phantom over. "I . . . I . . . " she tried, wondering frantically where to start. Eventually, with a sigh, she began simply, shaking her head, "Your home, our team's base, is no longer my home." She still did not bother to rise from the street that she had fallen onto when she had been shot in order to save Keesa.

He reached down and picked her up, holding her high on his chest to where their eyes were level with each other. "What do you mean my home is no longer your home? Who has dared to cast you out of my home? I won't read your mind unless you give me permission. I told you that a long time ago. I need to know so I can set things right." He kissed her gently on the cheek. If she would not declare herself, he could not declare himself even though he thought he knew most of what was going on.

His gentle kiss on her cheek sent thrills racing through her spine and heat surging all through her body to her toes where it curled back upwards and wrapped back around her soul. He's worried about you, Jedda, she reminded herself. He thinks of you as family, as a niece, if not a daughter. That's all it is, nothing more. You know that. Don't make an idiot of yourself.

Her eyes lowered from Mandrake's as she found she could not gaze into his sexy eyes and still continue to hide her feelings for him. "Mandrake," she spoke slowly, choosing her words carefully as she did so, "I know you mean well. You always have, always do, but there's nothing that you can do about it this time. No one kicked me out. I left there of my own free will."

"Yeah, right. You have never been one to run away, Jedda, not from a fight and most certainly not from having a blow out with your father. Admit to yourself what the problem is, and then tell me. Be brave, my dear; it can't be all that bad."

Her tear-filled eyes snapped back to blaze upwards at him as she demanded, "How would you know, and just what did my idiotic Father tell you!"

"I just figured that you and him had had a spat. I knew it couldn't be Rick, because you haven't seen him today. He's been too busy trying to get ready for the race. None of the rest of the guys ever seem to upset you, so putting two and two together, I figured it was your father. He didn't tell me anything, not really, at least not anything I didn't already know or suspect. Come on, sweetheart; it can't be that bad." He almost said tell your Uncle Mandrake, but he didn't want her to think of that way. "Don't you trust me any more, Jedda?" he asked.

His words nearly broke her heart all over again. Of course, she trusted him with everything but knowing the truth of her feelings for him. If he did . . . Oh, Gods! Well, she was going to lose him any way, because she couldn't go back there. "It's not that," she spoke softly, her gaze dropping from his again.

She began slowly, trying desperately to choose words that would not give his identity away to himself. "Mandrake, I've . . . I've always had these . . . _feelings_ for one of our team mates that's never looked my way. I thought they'd go away through the years, but they never did. They've just continued to increase. I know I love him, but I also know that he would never believe me, just think that it was some silly crush or puppy love or, worst of all, like my Father, think that I'm psycho."

He sat down, holding her, on a nearby tree stump. "Did you get the present I sent you today? Did you listen to the songs? I know it's quite out of the ordinary, but I chose each one of them with you in mind. Didn't they say anything to you?" He smiled rather sheepishly at her. He was usually bold in everything, but he was extremely bashful in dealing with her. What if it was all just his imagination? What if when she finally gave up the name of the guy she was in love with, it turned out to be Rick? He hoped and prayed that it was him and not Rick, but he wasn't sure and she was taking her time about telling him. Could he have been mistaken? Maybe she had just told Phantom that to gripe his butt but, no, he reminded himself, it's not like Jedda to do like that. He waited, almost breathless, to hear what she would say about his gift.

Jedda looked slowly up at Mandrake, questions shining in her green eyes through her slowly decreasing tears. Her forehead creased slightly with confusion though her heart beat wildly in her chest from hope that she knew she'd be wiser not to have. "Mandrake," she asked, her breath a mere whisper, "why would you choose love songs for me?"

"Why not when that's how I feel? Should I keep it hidden far the rest of my life?" he asked her with a kind of half-grin. "You didn't like them?"

Joy flooded Jedda's heart to the point of overflowing. She could scarcely believe her ears, and yet she knew what she'd heard. She hadn't imagined it this time. Mandrake loved her! She felt like screaming from the sheer happiness that enraptured her very being.

Her trembling fingers reached up to lovingly caress the side of his handsome face as her eyes gazed adoringly up into his. Tears began to stream down her face again, but this time, they were tears of joy. Her voice shook with her emotions as she answered him, "I loved them, Mandrake."

"And that guy? The guy I love?" she reminded him gently. She leaned closer into him and upwards until her lips met his. She kissed him gently, but no matter what might happen next, she would cherish that one kiss more than any other event in her entire life quite simply as he did not pull away from her. Parting just barely, her forehead pressed softly against his and her eyes continuing to stare into his, Jedda's lips breathed against his, "He's you."

A thrill rushed through his body at her words. "I have had to wait so long, Jedda, for you to grow up, and I have lived in fear for at least half of that time -- fear that you would think I was way too hold for you, fear that you'd fallen in love with some one else your own age, fear that you'd laugh at me when I told you. I would have told your father a long time ago, but I knew that he would pitch a fit. He wanted you to be with a young man, some one your own age, and I can understand that but I can't accept it. I may be older than you, more experienced, but it doesn't mean I can't love you more than any one else in the world, it doesn't mean I can't take care of you and make you happy.

"I think I fell in love with you the first time I ever saw you, and up till now, I have fought it every step of the way. I know I'm too old for you, but I love you. I'll go away and leave you if you want me to, but I don't want to. I have waited for you forever, my love, so I think I'm just going to stay around you and give you all the love I can." He captured her sweet lips with his and gave her a gentle yet promising kiss. He'd fight all the Demons in Hell, including the Phantom, just so he could be with his beloved.

"You'd better do that," Jedda said when their lips had parted again, referring to his last statement. "Mandrake, I never want to lose you. I can handle my stupid jerk of a Father, but I couldn't handle you finding out and my losing you that way. Your feelings have never been one-sided.

"I've always loved you for as long as I can remember, and it's never been the uncle or father type of love. I tried almost my entire life until that last time that I broke up with Rick to get rid of the feelings that I knew you'd never return. Every time I've ever dated any guy, even poor Rick, I was just using them, trying desperately to get over you. I couldn't. I never will, because I will always love you.

"Age doesn't have a damned thing to do with love, regardless of what Father thinks. Age is just a number that humans have put too much importance on, just like weight and all that other stupid mess that the people who put out magazines and stuff try to make the public buy into. I love you. You love me. That's _all_ that really matters."

He stood up and let her slide to her feet. "I do love you, Jedda. I've always loved you, and I will always love you. Will you marry me?" He hoped it was not too soon to ask, but he did not want to take any chances of having to lose her because Phantom wanted to whisk her away. He had no intention of returning to the mansion until they were legally married, because he knew Phantom would spirit her away.

She knew it was fast, but she didn't care. As she had said, all that truly mattered was that they loved each other, and to be married to her beloved Mandrake would be a life-long dream come true. He was all she wanted in life. He was the only one she could ever love. Her brilliant smile growing even brighter, Jedda answered whole-heartedly, "Of course I'll marry you, Mandrake!"

"I know you want your father to be there, but it's not possible at this time. We need two witnesses. Do you have any one in mind?"

Jedda nodded. "I know exactly who to call, but did you bring your phone? I wasn't exactly in any condition to think of something like that or anything else, for that matter."

He reached in his pocket, pulled out his cell phone, and handed it to her, wondering who she was going to call. Jedda's fingers brushed Mandrake's as she accepted the offered phone. Opening it, she dialed Rick's cell number and pressed it to her ear. When he finally answered, he seemed almost out of breath. Jedda spoke into the receiver, "I'm ready to take you up on that offer. You can't tell a soul, though. Promise me, Rick, please? It's of the utmost importance." Her eyes danced with added slight amusement at the look on Mandrake's face when he realized that it was Rick she was speaking to.

Mandrake's eyes twinkled. Only Jedda would keep Rick Gordon dangling and then expect him to be the best man! He reached out, taking her hand and squeezing it gently. "Tell him St. John's. Father Kelly owes me. He'll be happy to perform the ceremony."

Jedda had just started to nod to Mandrake when Rick's words made her pale. "You **_knew_**!" she nearly bellowed into the phone, but then she laughed. "Yeah. St. John's, and remember . . . " She paused as Rick finished her sentence for her, then replied, "Precisely."

**To Be Continued . . . **


	9. Chapter Nine

**Chapter Nine**

As soon as Jedda was off the phone, Mandrake pulled her into a tender embrace. His lips sought hers even as his mind whirled madly about all the things they needed to do in order for them to get married. He knew he needed a three-day license. He conjured one up in his pocket. He felt the document settle down, and then he could not remember anything else as Jedda's lips drove him crazy.

Jedda could not believe the miraculous turn her life had so swiftly taken, but she thanked Bast and Aphrodite for it even as she deepened her kiss with Mandrake. Her mind thought of a thousand things that could still stop them, but her heart screamed at it to just shut up for once in her life. Her hand gently cupped the back of Mandrake's neck, her fingers stroking the ends of his smooth ebony hair. Her tongue slipped into his as she continued to kiss him, and Keesa looked on at the couple with what could only be called a smile on his face.

He pulled her so close to him that he felt as though they were already one -- her delicious curves melting into his hard body. His passion rose, and he was having trouble fighting it down. He tried to convey his love to her through his lips. He had never been one for French kissing. He wasn't even really sure how it was done properly since he had always refused to do it with others. He knew it was supposed to be an ultimate passion-filled kiss, and now he wanted to do it for the first time with Jedda but he wasn't sure how. Here she was, a naive, sweet innocent child almost, and he, the supposed man of the world, felt like an innocent, bumbling idiot. How could he tell her that he wanted to French kiss her? And then suddenly, her tongue slipped into his mouth, and all coherent thought disappeared as his tongue met hers of its own volition, entwining and dancing with each other.

This increased his passion even more, and he knew he had best break it off before it got out of control. He pulled back from her slightly. "Darling, I would like nothing better than to stand here kissing you all day, but I am afraid that it will lead down paths that are better hidden behind closed doors. We must get to the church." He wanted something that was not only romantic but quick, as well, and with a swift movement of his hands, conjured a horse-drawn carriage that was filled with white, thornless roses. He lifted her up and into the carriage and then pulled her into another embrace, only managing to get out to the driver to carry them to St. John's quickly. Then his lips met Jedda's once again.

Though Mandrake's wondrous lips threatened to erase all thoughts from Jedda's mind yet again, she broke from him long enough to reach over and shove the door open. "Keesa?" The word had not even left her mouth before the black panther had bounded, in one swift, fluid leap, into the carriage. She shut the door, stole an awed gaze around the elegant cage and the beautiful, sweet-smelling roses, before returning to cuddling with Mandrake, her lips once more taking the delicious lips of the man of her dreams. A part of her still dared not believe that this was truly happening, but she refused to listen to it. If this was a dream, she would rather live it the rest of her life than ever awaken to reality, but her heart and soul knew that this was no dream.

Keesa, meanwhile, sat on the opposite seat, his gaze turned solely on his beloved mistress and her love. He grinned, his eyes sparkling, and his tail swished, cutting through the air, as he watched them proudly. If Phantom showed up and tried to cause trouble . . . He'd eat him. That was all there was to that.

The driver glanced backwards once. Seeing that all passengers were ready, he quieted his horses who had been spooked because of the big cat and set off at a brisk trot for St. John's. He did not make one single comment to the man who he recognized as Mandrake, who was now locked in a tight embrace with a beautiful young lady he did not recognize. He had followed the exploits of Mandrake for years and was proud to be of service to such a noble man. What a tale he would have to tell his missus when he returned home that night! With a grin as bright as the sun, he carried them ever closer to St. John's.

* * *

"Rick Gordon is well in the lead, but . . . " The announcer's loud, excited voice suddenly broke off, but then he began speaking even faster. "What's this! Gordon's jumping the curb! He's completely leaving the racetrack, but he's not wrecking! Bill, what in blue blazes do you think he's up to!"

"I don't know, Bob, but in all my years, I've never seen any one go as fast as this kid is going, folks. He's heading for the bleachers!" The screams of the audience went up, but four figures raced toward the car instead of running away with the others. "He's pulling up and talking to another young man, and now -- Now he's leaving completely, and there are three people from the audience in hot pursuit!"

"But what's that red and purple blur?" Bob asked uneasily. "It looks like there's a fight breaking out!"

"There is indeed! There's brawling in the stands, but wait -- a left, a right, and now they're both down!"

Outside, the racecar's tires spun on the pavement as Rick pulled it alongside a shiny, red convertible. He killed the motor, jumped out, shoved his helmet off, threw it heedlessly into the car, and leapt into the convertible. Sliding over to the driver's side, he started the car just as LJ, Lothar, and KShin, carried in Lothar's strong arms with Zuffy peeking nervously out of the folds of the boy's red jacket, came running up. They said not a word, merely jumped into the car as Rick revved the motor. He did not wait for his father to come but took off so fast that he left dark tracks on the cement.

He knew he had just made probably one of the biggest career mistakes in the history of racing, but he didn't care. Jedda meant more to him than anything else, and she always would. As for Mandrake . . . As long as he made Jedda happy, that was all that mattered to Rick. He spun out of the parking lot as if his life depended on it, saying a prayer that they could get Mandrake and Jedda married before Phantom could find out what was really happening -- he'd only told the others that Jedda and Mandrake needed them -- and that he wouldn't kill his father in the anguish that came from not understanding why Flash had just turned on him.

**To Be Continued . . . **


	10. Chapter Ten

**Chapter Ten**

Mandrake had not realized that the carriage was no longer moving until the cabbie cleared his throat, so involved with kissing Jedda was his entire being. "Begging your pardon, Governor," the cabbie said, "but we are here!"

Mandrake looked up with a dzed look. "Would you wait for us?" he asked the driver.

"Til Hell freezes over, it will be my honor," came the reply.

Mandrake stepped down and turned to help Jedda down from the carriage. He heard a screeching of tires and looked up just in time to see most of his family arrive. Lifting Jedda down, he held to her hand as he turned to greet the others. "We must hurry," Mandrake told the others. "It will not take long for Phantom to find us! Where is Flash?"

Jedda looked around at the loving faces of her family. She wished her father could be here but knew that this was the only way she could have the man she loved and would have done anything to be with Mandrake. Although her father was not there, she was deeply touched to see that Rick had managed to whisk away so many of her family yet could not help wondering just how it was that none of them seemed surprised. However, as Jedda's gaze continued moving from one face to the other, she realized that their happy, excited faces were transforming to sheepish looks at Mandrake's question. Jedda narrowed her eyes as she asked suspiciously, "Rick, what did you do?"

He smiled at her. "I came to make sure my best friend gets what she deserves."

"What's that?" Kshin piped up, still not quite sure exactly what was going on.

"That she gets to be happy," Rick clarified, his smiling eyes not moving from Jedda.

"Thanks, Rick," Jedda spoke sincerely, "but I know there's something else you're not telling us. Where's Flash?"

Lothar cleared his throat and, smiling warmly at Mandrake, attempted to change the subject. "I couldn't believe the news when Rick told us where we were going. I'm thrilled for you, my friend!"

Jedda's eyes narrowed even more at the swift change of subject. She gently nudged Mandrake but continued to look suspiciously at the others, waiting for some one to gather the courage to tell them what had happened between Flash and her father. She knew Phantom had to have something to do with it, and then, suddenly, it clicked. She straightened even more as realization dawned in her eyes. "Flash kept Father away, didn't he?"

Rick nervously scratched the back of his head. "Yeah," he admitted, still grinning sheepishly, "you could say that . . . "

Mandrake smiled at his friends even as he tucked Jedda's hand into his arm. "Let us go in, my dear heart!" He triumphantly led the way in after removing his hat.

Once inside the church, an elderly priest hastened to join their group. "Father Kelly, it is so good to see you again, my friend." The priest clasped Mandrake's hand and shook it vigorously. Mandrake asked, "Father, I have need of your services!"

"You have but to ask, my son," Father Kelly answered.

"This is my one true love, Father, and we need to be married immediately." The priest nodded and asked them to come to the altar. Mandrake followed behind, leaving Jedda to be escorted by Rick. Even as he walked, Mandrake cast a spell, changing Jedda's clothes into a beautiful Victorian wedding gown. Once at the altar, he turned to wait for his bride to be. Her beauty took his breath away! He wanted to do something very out of character for himself, and that was to let out a wolf whistle. He fought the urge and instead gifted the room with a huge smile.

Jedda had been left standing where Mandrake had departed from her to go to wait for her at the altar with doubt and confusion nagging at her mind -- doubt and confusion only over how to get to the alter. Her Father was not there and could not be because of his own stupidity, but she had no one else who she could ask to give her away. She watched as the others began to take their places. Lothar took Kshin by the hand and led him to stand behind Mandrake as the best men. Zuffy leapt from KShin's jacket and scampered across the room to the organ.

LJ, too, looked around at the others, especially at Lothar and KShin who had so readily stepped in as Mandrake's best men. "What am I supposed to be?" he finally asked.

Rick clasped LJ's shoulder. "Looks like you're the bride's maid, buddy," he said with a grin.

LJ shot him such a look that Jedda burst out laughing, a beautiful sound that carried throughout the chapel. LJ looked over at Jedda. She meant so much to him. She had been one of his two best friends through his entire life, and she could no surer be his sister than if the same blood ran through their veins. He sighed and nodded, finally relenting as he walked down the aisle to stand in the place where he could only hope was the bride's maid's post.

Jedda's laughter died away as the wedding march suddenly started. Her nervous eyes flitted to the organ, and her mouth fell open in surprise at the sight of a certain Zuffoid playing the organ. She shook her head and smiled, but that smile faltered as she remembered that she had no one to perform the traditional role of giving the bride away. Her eyes turned back to where Mandrake waited, and her breath caught in her throat as her smile grew brilliant and filled her lovely face. It didn't matter that she had no one to give her away. It didn't matter that she was in normal clothes -- that they were all dressed normally. All that mattered was that Mandrake loved her just as much as she loved him, that they would soon be together, and that there would soon be nothing at all that her Father could do to keep them apart. Squaring her shoulders and holding her head up high, Jedda began to step forward.

Rick was suddenly by her side, his arm slipping into hers. Jedda looked up at him questioningly, but he only smiled down at her. It was only then that she realized just how far her loving friend was going for her, despite the jealousy and hurt she knew he must be feeling deep inside. She nodded, smiled, and let her eyes shine with her gratitude. Rick said nothing but only returned her nod and smile and turned his attention back to the altar.

As Jedda began to move down the aisle, great lengths of silk rustled against her long legs. Casting a quick glance down at herself, she was surprised to find that her simple uniform had been transformed into a gorgeous Victorian wedding dress made of flawless white silk. The bodice cupped around her ample bosom, and the sleeves ran down her arms to end in v's just slightly past her wrists. The skirt reached to the floor, and the train drug across the floor of the church as she walked. Suddenly, however, the train lifted. Jedda did not need to look to know what had happened for she felt her dearest friend of all, Keesa, following behind them, her train lifted gently in the panther's mouth.

Jedda's eyes moved back to Mandrake, and her smile grew even more brilliant and wider. Her eyes met his, and in that adoring gaze, she told him how much she loved him. She knew her Father would never believe them and was still surprised that the others had so swiftly and unquestioningly accepted the truth, but none of that mattered. All that mattered was that she loved him, he loved her, and the one thing that she had dreamed about more than any other over the years of her life was about to come true.

Mandrake's eyes shone with unshed tears as he watched the vision of loveliness that his Jedda made as she almost floated to him. He accepted her hand as she joined him, raising it for a moment for a tender kiss. Then pulling her close to his side, he turned to face the Priest.

In a matter of moments, as if in a dream, he placed his ring upon her finger, and then he was kissing her and turning to greet their family. His dreams had come true -- Jedda was his at long last and forever more! Never would they part!

**To Be Concluded . . . **


	11. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

Mandrake rolled over and fell out of bed in his house in London, bumping his head. His eyes fluttered open, and he realized that he was alone -- always alone. He crept back into bed and had closed his eyes when he heard the sound of flushing coming from his bathroom. His eyes fluttered open in surprise. He could scarcely believe his eyes -- Jedda almost floated to the bed and snuggled close to him. His arms wrapped gently around her, and his lips reverently touched hers in a passionate kiss . . . .

Jedda returned Mandrake's kiss in full, her heart soaring for all their eternal love and singing its praises. She had never thought she could be as happy as she was now, cuddled close to the man of her dreams, her _husband_, his strong arms lovingly holding her and their bodies pressed close together. Her lips parted under his, her tongue slipping upwards into his mouth as they heatedly explored each other's mouths. She knew that they would have to face her Father when they returned home, but for now, nothing else mattered -- just her husband, Mandrake, and the love they shared. She welcomed him completely as their love carried them throughout the galaxy on that very special night.

**The End**


End file.
